Protect The Porkies

06/03/2026

House Bill 4641 would overturn the ridiculous prohibition on Dark Sky Preserves in the Upper Peninsula, thus opening up new avenues for four-season astrotourism revenue, the same as is currently enjoyed by multiple DSPs in lower Michigan.

Not a single U.P. lawmaker has stepped up to advance the bill. After initially speaking passionately in favor of Dark Sky Preserves, Rep. Markkanen mysteriously changed his tune, likely after being influenced by Sen. Ed McBroom, who was involved in the Prohibition’s original implementation and continues to have much ego invested in the matter.

McBroom leaves office on Jan. 1st, 2027 and our path will be easier then — but why wait? This Prohibition creates unfairness in the law and market and reduces the U.P. to a second-class region.

—ALL MICHIGAN RESIDENTS: Contact your state representative today and tell them to “hold a hearing for House Bill 4641 to end the prohibition on Dark Sky Preserves in the Upper Peninsula.” Find your rep at www.house.mi.gov

—EVERYONE, INCLUDING OUT-OF-STATE: Contact Rep. Brian BeGole, leader of the Committee where the bill has been sent, and tell him the same thing as above.

[email protected]
517-373-0853

*** Do you run a U.P. business or organization? Barbershop, art gallery, restaurant, mobile sauna, whatever! Click the link in our profile for the SIGN-ON LETTER to show broad support across the U.P.

Not gonna lie folks, this is currently an uphill battle. Something extremely simple and common sense is encountering immense resistance from so-called “public servants” who apparently care more about serving industry than the people and the planet. Our only chance is if EVERYONE pitches in and we dominate the phone lines and inboxes.

It’ll take you five minutes tops! Let’s do it!

05/28/2026

Plans are underway to transform the Porcupine Mountains and the Lake Superior watershed into a new Canadian-owned mining district.

Last week the proposed White Pine North mine received a massive $75 million investment. In recent months local residents have received notices in the mail informing them that areas of their own property, including old growth forest, would be destroyed for mining roads and infrastructure.

The original White Pine mine produced a 5,600 acre waste facility which the new reopening would augment in parts by 26 feet. And while the smelter covered the region in 7.6 tons of mercury, their wastewater discharge destroyed Perch Creek and greatly impaired the Mineral River, which the DNR described as “much reduced in macro-invertebrate abundance,” and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration identified as responsible for 35-40% of the chloride load entering Lake Superior. Decades after closing, the mine continues to purge briny water containing toxic amounts of metals and salts through the Mineral River into Lake Superior.

This is no criticism whatsoever of the employees of the White Pine mine who earned a hard living to provide for their families. Rather than looking back, we’re merely asking: what’s the best way forward?

Local residents who are concerned about the PROPOSED Copperwood or White Pine mines are encouraged to reach out:

[email protected]

We’ll get you connected with others who can help.

05/20/2026

The public comment period for the Copperwood wastewater discharge permit has been extended until July 17th. A public hearing will be held around the same time.

Great work everyone, but let's keep up the pressure! Our efforts will be most impactful if we build and sustain momentum!

For full details, click the link in our profile or visit ProtectThePorkies.com and click TAKE ACTION!

05/14/2026

Please note, the EGLE spokesperson makes an error in their statement that the redside dace will not be affected because they are "upstream from the discharge site." In fact, redside dace have been documented both upstream AND downstream from the confluence of relevant waterways.

The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy opened public comment on April 15 for an application renewing the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System for the Copperwood Mine under development in Gogebic County.

05/08/2026

ACTION: Oppose Copperwood’s Wastewater Discharge Permit and Fight to Protect the Michigan Endangered Redside Dace!

DEADLINE: May 15th

OVERVIEW: The mining company is seeking a permit to dump up to half a million gallons per day of treated wastewater into Namebinag Creek. A Michigan endangered fish, the Redside Dace, dwells just over a mile downstream. The mining company has provided ZERO EVIDENCE that their wastewater will be harmless across a long time horizon to the fish and its habitat.

1. Submit a public comment using the official form (linked in our profile) or by sending an email to [email protected]

2. For example script and more, visit PROTECTTHEPORKIES.COM and click TAKE ACTION

3. Include some of these areas of concern:

A) The permit allows for up to 830 milligrams of total dissolved solids per liter of the wastewater, which is 2-3 times higher than the stream’s current TDS levels. So ask EGLE to lower the TDS parameter to match that of the stream.

B) Request that, at a minimum, EGLE follow the advice of their own biologist with regards to phosphorous, sulfate, and chloride.

C) Just tell them not to dump any damn wastewater into the stream where an endangered fish lives!

Millions of gallons of wastewater, no matter its exact quality, will absolutely change the composition of the creek. This will have the greatest impact on microbial life, fungi, and phytoplankton at first, but seemingly minor changes on a small scale can initiate a trophic cascade, or butterfly effect, casting ripples up the food web into higher-scale life forms, including the Redside Dace.

Example script and more at: ProtectThePorkies.com

05/05/2026

ACTION: Oppose Copperwood’s Wastewater Discharge Permit and Fight to Protect the Michigan Endangered Redside Dace!

DEADLINE: May 15th

OVERVIEW: The mining company is seeking a permit to dump up to half a million gallons per day of treated wastewater into Namebinag Creek. A Michigan endangered fish, the Redside Dace, dwells just over a mile downstream. The mining company has provided ZERO EVIDENCE that their wastewater will be harmless across a long time horizon to the fish and its habitat. If it is fully demineralized, it will have corrosive properties; even if remineralized prior to discharge, it will dilute the natural stream water, having cascade effects on microbial lifeforms and on up the food chain. Both EGLE and the mining company must communicate to the public what steps are being taken to protect the endangered Redside Dace.

ACTION STEPS:

1. Submit a public comment using the official form (linked in our profile) or by sending an email to [email protected]

2. Include these three points:�
—Ask them to DENY THE PERMIT�
—Request a PUBLIC HEARING so we can deliver spoken comments�
—Demand that the company PROVIDE RESEARCH proving no harm to the Redside Dace before re-applying for the permit

3. SHARE THIS ACTION!

Do not worry about expertise — the important thing is to show resistance. For full details, visit ProtectThePorkies.com and click TAKE ACTION!

__________

Mining companies tout their wastewater as being “cleaner than the rain,” but Nature is not supposed to be clean: healthy stream water is a complex web of relations between bacteria, fungi, phytoplankton, plant and animal life, geology, and other elements. Copperwood’s wastewater will be artificially filtered through reverse osmosis, ion exchange, chemical treatment, and more, resulting in water which is lacking in basic vitality. Flooding a stream with biologically dead water could lead to the long-term devitalization of the habitat, to the detriment of sensitive species like the redside dace.

The stream and its inhabitants can’t speak up, so they’re depending on you!

Deadline May 15th. More info at ProtectThePorkies.com

04/30/2026

ACTION: Oppose Copperwood’s Wastewater Discharge Permit and Fight to Protect the Michigan Endangered Redside Dace!

DEADLINE: May 15th

OVERVIEW: The mining company is seeking a permit to dump up to half a million gallons per day of treated wastewater into Namebinag Creek. A Michigan endangered fish, the Redside Dace, dwells just over a mile downstream. The mining company has provided ZERO EVIDENCE that their wastewater will be harmless across a long time horizon to the fish and its habitat, in complete violation of the precautionary principle.

ACTION STEPS:

1. Submit a public comment using the official form (linked in our profile) or by sending an email to [email protected]

2. Include these three points:

—Ask them to DENY THE PERMIT

—Request a PUBLIC HEARING so we can deliver spoken comments

—Demand that the company PROVIDE RESEARCH proving no harm to the Redside Dace before re-applying for the permit

3. SHARE THIS ACTION!

Do not worry about expertise — the important thing is to show resistance. For full details, visit ProtectThePorkies.com and click TAKE ACTION!

__________

Mining companies tout their wastewater as being “cleaner than the rain,” but Nature is not supposed to be clean: healthy stream water is a complex web of relations between bacteria, fungi, phytoplankton, plant and animal life, geology, and other elements. Copperwood’s wastewater will be artificially filtered through reverse osmosis, ion exchange, chemical treatment, and more, resulting in water which is lacking in basic vitality. Flooding a stream with biologically dead water could lead to the long-term devitalization of the habitat, to the detriment of sensitive species like the redside dace.

The stream and its inhabitants can't speak up, so they're depending on you!

Deadline May 15th. More info at ProtectThePorkies.com

04/24/2026

TONIGHT! Friday, April 24th, 6-8pm EST at the NMU Science Building, Room 2904

Hold these five lawmakers accountable for their ongoing support of the atrocious Copperwood Mine!��

Demand answers:�
— Why are they selling out Lake Superior and the Porcupine Mountains for short-term gain and the enrichment of a foreign extractive company?

— Rolling out the power grid will lead to data centers and other industry after the mine... do they really think Michigan’s most beloved wilderness area is an appropriate neighborhood?

— Don’t let them compare Copperwood to Eagle Mine: as Eagle Mine closes, Marquette has a diversified economy which will take over and minimize the bust, but Wakefield Township does not! Ripping out the rug will leave this area just as poor as it started, now with a 323-acre waste facility right next to Lake Superior, the State Park, and the North Country Trail.

— Ask them: What is your favorite hike in the Porkies? When was the last time you swam in Lake Superior? What is your connection to this immediate area other than trying to help a Canadian company extract profit from it?��

— And why the heck are Dark Sky Preserves PROHIBITED in the U.P. when they are legal just south of the Bridge? Demand that they restore basic fairness to the law and free market, NOW.�

Bring your friends! Don't be afraid to make some noise!

04/20/2026

In an April press release the White House officially endorses Highland Copper and their proposed Copperwood Mine — closest metallic sulfide mine to Lake Superior in history, immediately adjacent to the Porcupine Mountains.

Beyond a mine, once the power grid and other infrastructure is rolled out, it would lay the foundation for data centers and more, as confirmed by Representative Dave Prestin.

A massive federal subsidy could be just around the corner. To fight back, please complete the following steps as soon as possible:

Share this video — We need all hands on deck, no matter your residence

Contact these lawmakers — Tell them to ensure that not a single copper penny goes to this dangerous project. Find contact forms and more at ProtectThePorkies.com (click Take Action)

Sen. Elissa Slotkin (MI)
202-224-4822

Rep. Jack Bergman (MI)
202-225-4735 / 231-944-7633 (Traverse City district office) / 906-273-2227 (Gwinn district office)

Rep. John Moolenaar (MI)
202-225-3561 / 989-802-6040 (district office)

Rep. Haley Stevens (MI)
734-853-3040 / 202-225-8171

Rep. Tom Tiffany (WI)
202-225-3365 / 715-298-9344

Rep. Pete Stauber (MN)
202-225-6211 / 218-481-6396

E-mail the Export-Import Bank: [email protected]
Tell them to DENY the $250 million in debt financing to Highland Copper.

To make your messages impactful, do a bit of research at ProtectThePorkies.com

Be professional, but firm — let them know there’s a lot on the line, and We the People won’t tolerate a mine at this location.

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Photos by Bryan Mitchell, Peter Richards, and Anna Monkmeyer

04/06/2026

Rep. Dave Prestin says the proposed Copperwood Mine’s infrastructure will open the floodgates to data centers and other industry long after the mine boards up shop.

Folks, do we really want to industrialize one of the wildest and most beloved places in the Upper Midwest?

Since the mining company has been denied Michigan funding, they are now desperately seeking a federal subsidy. This is a very real possibility, so no matter your residence, NOW IS THE TIME TO CONTACT YOUR NATIONAL REPRESENTATIVE OR SENATOR:

https://www.congress.gov/members/find-your-member

***** Tell them not to fund an inexperienced foreign company to devastate a beloved area, leave behind 40+ million tons of waste, and ship the copper to Canada with no promise of return! More details at www.ProtectThePorkies.com

And don’t miss these upcoming protests against AI Data Centers in Michigan:

April 10th

Houghton: 6-8pm across from Veteran’s Memorial Park

April 11th

Detroit: 5-7pm, Roosevelt Park
Ann Arbor: 11am-4pm, UMich Diag
Lansing: 11am-1pm, 1300 Eureka St
Grand Rapids: 4-5pm, Calder Plaza
Traverse City: 10-11am, Open Space Park

Protests do not stop bad things from happening, but they are an important opportunity to build solidarity and network with others to organize for more substantial actions when the time comes.